Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre Saturday, April 9, 2005, 8 Pm Zellerbach Hall
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre Saturday, April 9, 2005, 8 pm Zellerbach Hall Valery Gergiev, music director and conductor Daria Rabotkina, piano This North American tour of the Kirov Orchestra is made possible by the support of the White Nights Foundation of America. The Bay Area concerts of the Kirov Orchestra are made possible by a generous gift of Maria Manetti Farrow and friends. Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra record for Philips. This performance has been made possible in part by members of the Cal Performances Producers Circle. CAL PERFORMANCES 17 PROGRAM Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre Saturday, April 9, 2005, 8 pm Zellerbach Hall PROGRAM Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio espagnole, Op. 34 Alborada: Vivo e strepitoso Variazioni: Andante con moto Alborada: Vivo e strepitoso Scena e canto Gitano: Allegretto Fandango asturiano Alexander Borodin In the Steppes of Central Asia Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Op. 10 (in one movement) Daria Rabotkina, piano INTERMISSION Mily Balakirev Islamey – Oriental Fantasy orch. by Liapunov Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, Op. 35 Largo e maestoso - Allegro non troppo The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship Lento - Andantino - Allegro molto - Vivace scherzando - Allegro moderato ed animato The Story of the Kalander Prince Andantino quasi allegretto The Young Prince and the Young Princess Allegro molto - Lento - Allegro molto e frenetico - Vivo - Spiritoso - Allegro non troppo maestoso The Festival at Baghdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock Surmounted by a Bronze Warrior; Conclusion. PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE 18 CAL PERFORMANCES ABOUT THE ARTISTS The Kirov Orchestra has a long and distinguished beginning of the 20th centuries, including the first history as one of the oldest musical institutions in Russian performances of the complete Ring Cycle, Russia. Founded in the 18th century during the Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger and Parsifal. reign of Peter the Great, it was known before the The Ring Cycle was conducted by Hans Richter, revolution as the Russian Imperial Opera Orchestra. who was the first to conduct the complete Ring in Housed in St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre Bayreuth and at Covent Garden. (named for the favorite daughter of Czar Nicholas The Mariinsky Orchestra also gave the first I) since 1860, the orchestra entered its true “golden Russian performances of Richard Strauss’ Elektra, age” during the second half of the 19th century Salome and Der Rosenkavalier, and Berg’s Wozzeck under the music direction of Eduard Napravnik in a production that took place two years after its (1839-1916). Napravnik single-handedly ruled world premiere in Berlin and twenty years before the Imperial Theatre for more than half a century its premiere in Vienna. (from 1863-1916) and under his leadership, the On two occasions, 1847 and 1867, Hector Mariinsky Orchestra was recognized as one of the Berlioz led performances of his own works, finest in Europe. He also trained a generation of including Damnation of Faust, Romeo and Juliet, outstanding conductors, developing what came to Symphony fantastique and Harold in Italy. Berlioz be known as “the Russian school of conducting.” wrote in his memoirs, “Such an orchestra! Such The Mariinsky Theatre has also been the birthplace precision! Such an ensemble!” And in a letter dated of numerous operas and ballets, which have come December 1867 he wrote, “I don’t think Beethoven to be regarded as masterpieces of the 19th and 20th had a better performance of his compositions!” centuries. World premiere performances include In March and April 1863, Richard Wagner Glinka’s Life of a Tsar and Russlan and Ludmilla; visited St. Petersburg and led the Royal Imperial Borodin’s Prince Igor; Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov Theatre Orchestra in six programs of Beethoven and Khovanshchina; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Maid of symphonies and his own compositions, plus the Pskov, The Snow Maiden and Legend of the Invisible world’s first concert performance of Prelude und City of Kitezh, among others; Tchaikovsky’s Liebestod. Gustav Mahler appeared with the Queen of Spades, Iolanta, Swan Lake, Nutcracker orchestra in both 1902 and 1907, conducting and Sleeping Beauty; Prokofiev’s The Duenna; five concerts, including a performance of his as well as operas by Shostakovich and ballets by Fifth Symphony. In 1912, Arnold Schoenberg Khachaturian. conducted the premiere of his symphonic poem, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was closely associated Pelléas and Mélisande. with the Mariinsky Theatre, not only conducting By 1917, the orchestra’s name had changed the orchestra but also premiering his Fifth to The Royal Imperial Theatre Orchestra and it Symphony, fantasy overture Hamlet and Sixth was regarded as St. Petersburg’s most renowned Symphony there. Sergei Rachmaninoff conducted symphony orchestra. Its repertoire – operatic the orchestra on numerous occasions, including and orchestral – has traditionally encompassed premieres of his cantata Spring and symphonic not only music of Russian composers but also poem, The Bells. In addition, he was highly that of European composers, both classical and regarded as an interpreter of Russian composers contemporary. Numerous internationally famous and led notable performances of Tchaikovsky’s musicians conducted the orchestra, among them Queen of Spades and Prokofiev’s Sinfonietta. Hans von Bulow, Felix Mottl, Felix Weingartner, The orchestra also premiered the music of Alexander von Zemlinsky, Otto Nikisch, Willem the young Igor Stravinsky, including his Scherzo Mengelberg, Otto Klemperer, Bruno Walter and fantastique and suite from The Firebird ballet. Erich Kleiber. Throughout its history, the Mariinsky Theatre Renamed the Kirov during the Soviet era, the has presented works by Europe’s leading opera orchestra continued to maintain its high artistic composers – Handel, Rossini, Gounod and standards under the leadership of Evgeni Mravinsky Wagner. In 1862, Verdi’s La Forza del Destino and Yuri Temirkanov. Since Valery Gergiev became was given its world premiere at the theatre in the artistic director in 1988, the Kirov has forged presence of the composer. Wagner was a favorite important relationships with the world’s great at the Mariinsky Theatre, where his operas were opera houses, among them London’s Royal Opera frequently performed from the 19th through the House, the San Francisco Opera, Paris Opéra de la CAL PERFORMANCES 19 ABOUT THE ARTISTS Bastille and the Metropolitan Opera. Soon after Theatre winter residency at the Kennedy Center, the city of Leningrad was renamed St. Petersburg, plus a seventeen-city North American tour with the the Kirov Theatre reverted to its original title of the Kirov Orchestra, which includes a three-concert Mariinsky Theatre, home to the Kirov Opera, the Carnegie Hall residency, as well as appearances in Kirov Ballet, and the Kirov Orchestra. Florida, California, the Midwest, the East Coast and Canada. Valery Gergiev (music director and conductor) Born in Moscow to Ossetian parents, Maestro is internationally recognized as one of the most Gergiev studied conducting with Ilya Musin at the outstanding musical figures of his generation. Leningrad Conservatory. At age 24 he won the His inspired leadership as artistic and general Herbert von Karajan Conductors Competition in director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Berlin. He made his Kirov Opera debut in 1978 Russia, where he oversees the Kirov Orchestra, with War and Peace and was appointed artistic Ballet and Opera, has brought universal acclaim director and principal conductor in 1988. In to this legendary institution. In 2003, The Wall 2003 he celebrated his 25th anniversary with the Street Journal observed, “The Mariinsky Theatre’s Mariinsky Theatre and oversaw a considerable artistic agenda under Mr. Gergiev’s leadership portion of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg has burgeoned into a diplomatic and ultimately a festivities by producing an unprecedented three- broadly humanistic one, on a global scale not even month Stars of the White Nights Festival, which the few classical musicians of comparable vision included the globally televised St. Petersburg approach.” Together with the Kirov Opera and 300th anniversary gala attended by fifty heads of Orchestra, Maestro Gergiev has toured extensively state. In the same year the Kirov Orchestra and throughout North America and Europe, as well Maestro Gergiev opened the Carnegie Hall season, as to China, Japan, South America, Australia and the first Russian orchestra to do so and the first Israel. Russian conductor since Tchaikovsky conducted In addition to his leadership of the Mariinsky the first-ever concert in Carnegie Hall. Theatre, he is also the principal conductor of He is the recipient of the Dmitri Shostakovich the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the principal Award; the Golden Mask Award, the most guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera. He prestigious theater prize in Russia; the People’s is also the founder and artistic director of four Artist of Russia, the country’s highest cultural internationally renowned festivals: the Rotterdam award; and the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Philharmonic/Gergiev Festival; the Mikkeli Award. International Festival in Finland; the Moscow He has recorded exclusively for Philips (Universal Easter Festival; and the Stars of the White Nights Classics) since 1989. His vast discography includes Festival in St. Petersburg. He guest-conducts a many Russian operas neglected for years until select number